So You Think You Can Dance, June 7th – All in the Family

After some more guys make it that are not named and a quick shot of someone named Shauna that makes it, we see Heather Shoor enter. Mia tells her she thinks she is amazing and fabulous, and says she absolutely adored her on group night, as she really stood out. Mainly though, watching it, that would be because she was blonde, and the other two guys and a girl were dark-haired, and kept to the background. She was definitely the highlighted dancer in the routine. Mia continues, saying because they can only pick ten girls and they have so much of what they already need, she won’t be joining them this season. Nigel asks her to please come and audition again. Heather says she is excited for everyone, and she knows the next best thing is around the corner. No, that’s on Wednesday nights.

Jessi Peralta has a full-time forty hour a week office job where she sits in front of the computer and goes blind. She doesn’t want that job anymore, and wants to just be a dancer. That is all she has ever wanted to do. Shane tells her she blew him away at her audition and shocked him. There were two things they couldn’t agree on, though. Nigel asks if she will come back or if it’s the end of the road. As she indicates it is indeed the end of the road, Shane catches her and says they want her to carry on because she’s part of the top 20. Could they be any more cruel? He says she better represent, and she tells them they really scared her. She felt this would have been her last time as she’s just getting too old. Asked how old she is, she says 25, and they mock horror, “Oh no. That’s terrible!” She’s crying so hard everyone in the waiting area thinks she didn’t make it.

Caitlin Cucchiara had an outstanding audition, and her performances in Las Vegas continued to impress the judges, but as the pressure intensified, nerves got the best of her. Nigel says he remembers sending her straight through to Las Vegas, but then she just got terrible towards the end. He says there were very few that went straight through, and she was one of them. He wants her to know they believe in her potential is enormous, but she needs a little bit more experience. He believes she will be in the top 10 one year, but it’s just not going to be this year. Wow, this was one we all though had a lock on making it.

There is only one spot left for a girl and one spot left for a guy, with two guys and two girls left. We know Fox wants the drama of this, and they’re going to get it. The two guys are Hok and Twitch. Hok says he can’t do anything as his mind is numb emotionally. Twitch says he’s known Hok for a little bit and has seen him grown. He never would have thought it would be between the two of them. Sadness is starting in as they realize no matter what the results are, there is going to be sadness. They walk away from Cat with their arms around each other.

Nigel tells him they’ve obviously done the math. They are two very unique guys and they believe the pair of them bring so much to the show. However, they aren’t very good at other things they are asking them to do, which is why they aren’t both in the competition. Making way for the uniqueness, there is part of him that is sorry they don’t have two places to offer, yet there can only be one in this moment in time. The decision is they are not asking Twitch to stay. Hok is in the top 20 this year. They hug each other and Hok is very emotional, more sad than happy. After Twitch leaves the stage, Hok says he is very confused right now as by a real coincidence, Twitch was one of the first dancers he got to know. His mind just isn’t able to process this and understand it right now. Mia helps him out, telling him he should be happy and proud. After three seasons, he finally made it. Hok, though, just wants to give props to Twitch.

And now for the spot for the female dancer. The two left are Lacey Schwimmer and Kristen Stein. Kristen says she wants it so badly, and Lacey says she wants to make it as a dancer and a person, yet is freaking out as two ballroom girls have already made it, decreasing her odds. For Kristen, it goes way beyond a TV show. It’s a chance to take dancing from “here to here.” She hopes she doesn’t hear “no,” but at some point she wants Lacey there as well. Despite the fact that she has a leg up, as it were, being the sister of last year’s winner, Lacey says the show inspired her to learn more and show people what she can do.

Lacey and Kristen walk in holding hands. Mary tells them to look at each other right now and know that each of them is a fabulous dancer. They have to understand for them, it was the toughest decision of the day. She tells Lacey that she’s in a pretty hard spot since her brother won last year, and now she’s sitting there in the final two, and she tells Kristen she thinks everybody thinks she is amazing. Mary has to ask what they are supposed to do? As Kristen cries, Lacey is told she is in the top 20, prompting her to say, “Shut the front door!” Apparently some down home thing so she won’t say, “Shut up.” As the two girls hug, Lacey tells Kristen she is so sorry. Kristen is told to come back and try again as the top 10 girls were really tough this year, and she’s just outside of that. As she leaves, Mary tells Lacey it was more close than she realizes.

Now left with only the 20 finalists in the holding room, they excitedly shout to us, “We can dance!” Our finalists, in no particular order, are Anya, Cedric, Ashlee, Danny, Faina, D-Trix, Jamie, Hok, Jessi, Jesús (I don’t want to have to find the U with the accent mark every week), Lacey, Jimmy, Lauren, Kameron, Sabra, Neil, Sarah, Pasha, Shauna, and Ricky. They know they can dance, but now they have to prove it to us.

Who are your favorites of the top 20? Email me at LauraBelle@realityshack.com